UA744 - Middle East Asphalt

Middle East Asphalt

A roadway is the area a viewer sees first on a diorama with buildings, and yet it is given the least care. The acrylic shade Middle East Asphalt is aimed at asphalt in a dry, dusty belt, that is, at a surface the sun has dried out and fine sand has permanently lightened.

How it differs from a European roadway

The difference lies mainly in what lies on the surface. In a damp climate asphalt stays dark and gets overgrown at the edges; in a dry belt light dust covers it, holding at the curbs and at the walls. Lifecolor therefore keeps the European variant of asphalt as a separate shade, and it is good not to confuse the two. For an urban scene in the Middle East it is precisely this lighter, parched tone that is the right choice.

How to work with the shade

• Do not make the area uniform; the individual patches of a roadway have a different age and tone.
• Leave the worn tracks along the line of travel smoother and darker than the edges.
• Lighten the transition to the foot of a building; it is precisely there that blown dust gathers.
• Suggest cracks and potholes with a darker tone, not with black, which acts like a hole on a model.

Who the color is for

For modelers who build urban scenes of modern conflicts, roadways, ramps and courtyards by buildings, and for those looking for a general darker gray tone for paving, concrete and the paved areas around buildings.

Keep out of the reach of children and work in a ventilated room.